Dragons at Hogwarts
by lightningmil
Summary: After transferring to Hogwarts from Spain, Lin Arden reunites with her English family and friends. Past and future collide to make her present life quite difficult and she soon finds herself choosing between her family's high expectations and her desires.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which are trademarked by J. K. Rowling**

**Dragons at Hogwarts: The Gift**

**(HP:PoA)**

Chapter 1: The Ride to Her Future

"Don't lay on the door, it might open and you'll fly right out of the car," her mother said as she gave her a look of reproach.

"Well if we hadn't woken up so early, I wouldn't be so tired, right? Plus, I am pretty sure that is not likely to happen Mum," Lin said. Still, she took her forehead off the window, feeling a bruise beginning to form.

Lin Arden, was on her way to the Leaky Cauldron to meet with her godparents and their family, thanks to a car provided by the Ministry.

_Come tomorrow, I will finally be a student at Hogwarts with all my friends!_ she thought as she lost herself in the scenery of the car ride. _Three years late isn't so bad._

She recalled her three years spent in Spain at the Draconatio Institute for Magical Adolescents, or DIMA for short. The stress, loneliness, and high expectations were finally behind-

"Linda… Lin…. Belinda!" Her father had to borderline yell to snap her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry Dad, lost in my head again. Yes?" she asked a bit ashamed because the driver began to chuckle.

"Did you remember to bring the Special Creature Authorization Forms for your smelly mutt?" he asked in Spanish.

"Hector is not!" She exclaimed at the same time as her mother retorted "He is not just some mutt!"

"But yes, I brought them. Mum needs to sign them though," she told him as she passed her mother the forms. She picked up Hector, the puppy, who started yipping when he heard the insult, and snuggled him. "I gave him a bath this morning by the way."

"Really? Finally," her mother sounded a bit surprised. She shuffled through the papers trying to sign them in the bumpy car ride. Working for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, her mother was, of course, qualified to sign the "Ministry Representative" portions of the forms. "You know this is a horrible time to give me these forms. Here, you need to sign this one"

"Well I just got these yesterday. We didn't have time then and I have a feeling we won't have much time today or tomorrow."

But still she heard her mother mumble "always leaves things for the last minute" in Spanish.

She grabbed the form and tried to sign it, but some turbulence from a pothole made her signature look borderline illegible. She looked over at her mother's signature, it was almost perfect. She handed the form back to her mother and went back to daydreaming while petting Hector.

No matter how much she tried, she was not the perfect child her family expected her to be. A bit smarter than average and tenacious, yes, but not exceptional. Some of the few things she was proud of, though, was her intuition and good perception of situations. Because of these qualities, she knew there was something her parents hadn't told her.

"So… why did you finally decide to let me go to Hogwarts?" she asked, watching them for signs of mischief.

Her parents glanced each other for a split second, but it was enough for Lin to notice.

"I'm guessing my speech about Hogwarts being flat out better for me than DIMA was not as compelling as I assumed?"

She wanted to work out the real answer before it became an unwelcome surprise.

"Hmmm. Your bit on the linguistics program at Hogwarts being stronger _was_ interesting... That is not the reason though," Her mother stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, what was it then? Losing a boyfriend and "trouble making" friends?" She asked, growing impatient.

"No. And I thought Lesley form Greece was a nice girl, actually," her father said.

"And you left your boyfriend weeks before we said yes," her mother added.

"And having owls swoop in and out almost every day with gossip isn't what I would consider abandoning… Wait you had a boyfriend?" her father got sidetracked, but decided to overlook the revelation and went on. "No, the reason we are letting you go to Hogwarts is because we feel Percy will be a positive role-model for you. He is entering his 7th year and has earned many O.W.L.s you know." He father said, turning around from the front seat to look at her with snub face.

"Percy? Percy Weasley? Are you joking? I am going to Hogwarts because of that snobby, big-headed… Wow Dad, I thought you quit trying to pair me up with him but this, this is a new low. Let me guess, you are going to try and put him into a high position for new applicants at the Ministry once he leaves Hogwarts to reward him?" she ranted, losing any sense of shame.

"If I help Percy get a job at the Ministry, it will be because he is the son of your godparents, not because I am trying to find you a husband. Both your Mother and I researched jobs for Bill, she found a great job for Charlie, and I will help Percy," her father said sternly.

She knew she had insulted him but she kept going anyway to try and make her point.

"I'm sorry, OK? But it's the truth! You are always pushing me to ask Percy for help on homework. Mum is always pushing me to write to Charlie, not even Aunt Molly writes to him this much by the way. I see Charlie as a loving, way older, brother and he sees me like a rowdy little sister, for your information. No chance between us! Ginny wrote to me saying Percy has found himself a girlfriend, sorry guys! Please, just let me figure out my life for myself instead of everybody trying to do it for me!"

She rarely told her family what she was feeling, but once she started, there was no real chance of stopping her until she lost steam. Nobody wanted to date her anyway. Her boyfriend was the one to break up with her because she was 'too plain' and didn't make enough time for him.

The car became quiet for about 5 minutes except for Hector's crying. The driver stopped, and he and her parents got out. She put Hector in his crate picked it up, and also stepped out of car. She saw the Leaky Cauldron, and sighed.

_Finally, we're here,_ she thought walking to the building through the crowd. _I don't think I could have lasted more time._

The door opened and she noticed a familiar red-headed family come out. She gave them a wide grin, and ran to hug and greet her second family.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I will try to dish out a couple chapters every week.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which are trademarked by J. K. Rowling**

**Dragons at Hogwarts: The Gift**

**(HP:PoA)**

Chapter 2: Meeting The Boy Who Lived

"Four years is too long to not be seeing my godchildren!" scolded Aunt Molly after they all finished moving into their rooms. She was scolding Lin's parents more than she was scolding Lin. "Where is Ed?"

Edan, or Ed for short, was Lin's younger brother by one year.

"If everything goes fine with Lin at Hogwarts, I will move him here next year. That way, he will spend _igual_, sorry equal, time in Spain as Lin did and will know how to adjust by _ejemplo_, er, example." Explained Ignacio, Lin's father. He had a knack of mixing up words between English and Spanish when he felt nervous.

Molly and Arthur Weasley weren't really Lin's aunt and uncle, but she knew them her whole life and used these terms out of respect.

"Uncle Arthur, where is Ron?" asked Lin. She finally realized that a certain lanky red-head her age was missing.

"Oh, one of his friends arrived a bit before you did, so they are probably catching up. Oh, here he comes,"

Ron entered the room carrying his rat, Scabbers and looking like he was ready to go out.

"Hey Ron look who it is! Your wife!" Fred teased.

"Yeah and she's worried sick about you!" George added.

Lin and Ron both turned red, but of course Ron looked redder. Usually these types of jokes would have made Lin punch them. No punches were thrown, though, because she noticed a bushy haired girl behind Ron.

"Er, hi I'm Lin, Ron's friend," she said, giving Fred a stern look.

"Yeah, more like cousin or a sister," blundered Ron.

The girl giggled and stuck her hand out.

"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger, nice to meet you," she replied.

Lin gave her a firm handshake. Her father always said "Firm handshakes make good first impressions!"

"Hey Mum, can Hermione and I go and look for Harry? Lin can come with us! We can all get our school stuff and Scabbers' rat tonic! He looks like Egypt didn't agree with him much," Ron asked.

"Oh! I can get Hector's forms finished!" Lin added.

"Alright, don't stay out late. I want everyone back by dinner!" Aunt Molly she said as they left the room.

The three of them went up, got Hector, who began yipping at their presence, and were on their way.

"Why do you need forms for Hector?" asked Ron.

"Hector is not an owl, cat, or toad, she needs the Special Creature Authorization Forms signed for him to be allowed at Hogwarts. You never had to do that because Percy already did before you," Hermione said.

Lin could tell that Hermione was intelligent and gave her a grateful smile. She thought Ron made an excellent choice for a girlfriend.

The three of them went shopping for their supplies and looking for Harry but as time went on, Lin was getting more and more nervous. Was she finally going to meet the famous Harry Potter? The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when he was just a baby?

They finished shopping and decided to have some ice cream outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

"Harry!" both Hermione and Ron yelled, waving.

Harry Potter ran over to them and smiled.

"We've been looking all over for you! People at the Leaky Cauldron said that you had already left!" Ron said to Harry. "Hermione just arrived this morning and-"

"Ron, don't you think you are being a bit rude?" Hermione asked, pointing at Lin with her head.

"Oh! I have known both of you so long, I almost forgot you didn't know _each other_! Harry, this is Lin, my parents' goddaughter," said Ron.

"Hi, I am Harry, Harry Potter," Harry said,

For the second time that day, she gave a firm introductory handshake, though this one was a bit sweaty. She was lost for words. She didn't know whether to say how sorry she was for the loss of his parents, or praise him for defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"Harry here blew up his aunt you know" Ron laughed, breaking the awkwardness.

"It's not funny Ron, he could have been expelled!" Hermione retorted.

"I didn't mean to! And I could have been worse off, arrested!" Harry stated looking relieved.

"It's still pretty funny," Ron said, causing Lin to chuckle.

"I see you all went shopping," Harry said.

"Yeah I got a new wand!" exclaimed Ron, showing off his new wand to Harry. "And Hermione got a bunch of books for a ridiculous number of classes. I don't know how she is going to survive. She's taking every single class it seems-"

"Anyway," Lin said, trying to get the conversation away from Hermione. She didn't want them to bother her about classes because she understood how she felt. "Aren't we supposed to go a magical creature shop?"

"Oh yes! I want an owl! My parents gave me some money because of my birthday in September," Hermione said.

"I know my way around this place pretty well. I will take you," Harry said, leading them on.

They got to the Magical Menagerie, which had walls lined with tanks and crates of reptiles, rabbits, rats, and all sorts of other creatures. Their smells also seemed to engulf the place.

"Lin, you can do Hector first," Ron offered.

Lin set Hector down on the counter and the forms, she rang the bell and out popped a witch from behind a wall of bird cages.

"Ah, I see you have some forms for me. Let's get to it," she said, grabbing the papers. "Creature, seems to be a dog and wolf mix; color, black with lighter flecks of fur; health, looks healthy enough to me with its shiny coat! Right then, age and special powers?"

"Well, I am not sure what his true age is because my mum rescued him and my brother's from a forest in Albania a few years ago. His power also makes it difficult to guess. They seem to be intelligence and… well I will just show you," she said.

Lin put Hector on the ground and said "OK, you can stretch now."

In a few seconds, Hector grew into a large dog, dispersing fur everywhere as he shook his body. He gave one bark at Ron, and then sat at Lin's feet staring at him. Ron got startled and tripped over a cage.

"I see… I don't know if Hogwarts will permit a, er, 'pet' his size," the witch said, staring at Hector with surprise.

"He only turns when I tell him or feels threatened. I promise he will behave!" she begged.

"Hmm… I will trust that this Ministry Representative knows what they just approved. Fine, age: undetermined, powers: … changes size on command."

"And high intelligence," Lin added.

The witch stared at her but eventually wrote it down and signed the forms.

"Here you are. I hope you don't get in any trouble, missy."

Lin took the forms and went to Ron, who decided he did not want to be anywhere near Hector.

"OK you are free to go up to the counter now. Hector won't bite you, Ron," she said but she decided to shrink him anyways. "Hector, play time is over, sorry."

Hector shrank throwing even more tuffs of fur on the ground but the witch cleaned it all up with the flick of her wand.

Lin walked over to Hermione where she was admiring cats.

"I thought you wanted an owl?" Lin asked.

"I did, but then this cat caught my attention. I'm going to take him out and get familiar, I think," she said as she pulled opened the cage of a large, squash-faced orange cat.

As soon as she popped the cage open, the large cat burst out and jumped on Ron's head.

"CROOKSHANKS, NO!" the witch yelled as Crookshanks chased after Scabbers.

Scabbers ran off into the street and Ron and Harry followed without letting Crookshanks through the door. Crookshanks then jumped up into Hermione's arms and began to purr.

"Yes, I will take him!" Hermione announced.

"Are you sure? No one has ever wanted him before. Been here a long while," the witch stated.

"Even more of a reason then!" Lin said. She quite liked the cat, especially since it gave Ron such a fright.

Hermione gave the witch the money, and the witch gave her the cat's certificates. Lin purchased two stretchable collars, a blue one for Hector and a red one for Finley, Edan's white puppy and Hector's brother. They thanked the witch and went after the others.

"You bought that thing?! It nearly ripped Scabbers apart!" Ron exclaimed as they all walked back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"He didn't mean to! He just wanted some attention. He had been there for ages!" Hermione said. "And by the way, you forgot your rat tonic. Here, I brought for you."

They finally arrived at the Leaky Cauldron where they saw Uncle Arthur reading the _Daily Prophet_.

"I see you're all back, good. Ah, Harry! Doing well I hope?" he said smiling.

"Yes, thank you" Harry said. "I see they still haven't caught Sirius Black?"

"No. And the Ministry has put everyone to search for him," Uncle Arthur said grimly.

"Maybe _we_ might catch him!" Ron said. "We could use the money-"

"Ron, he is the most wanted man in the country. I am sure none of us can catch him," Lin said.

"The Azkaban guards will catch him, you'll see," said Uncle Arthur.

Just then, Aunt Molly, Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny all came bustling through the door with many shopping bags.

"Harry, hope everything is going well for you?" Percy said pompously giving him a handshake.

"Very well, thanks-"

"Oh, what a splendid sight! Harry, very good to see you!" Fred said bowing in front of Harry, cutting Percy off.

"Sublime! Marvelous!" added George, taking Harry's hand in both of his.

Lin began to laugh out loud at the sight and Fred and George came up to her, trying to use her to steady themselves as they also laughed.

"That is enough," said Aunt Molly. "Percy is an excellent example for you all, unlike you both. Second Head Boy in the family! You two weren't made prefects I see."

"Mum, becoming a prefect would take the joy out of life!" said George.

"I am more than capable of being enough of an example for these children, Mother," said Percy. "I'm going to change for dinner."

Lin's parents arrived, and Lin decided to straighten herself out. She didn't want her parents to think of Fred and George as bad influences.

"We just came from exploring! Diagon Alley is such a lively place. Fascinating!" said Lin's father.

"We haven't been here enough times unfortunately, work and all," said Lin's mother chuckling. "We just came from-"

She stopped mid-sentence, staring at Harry. She looked completely shocked.

"Oh Adolfa!" said Aunt Molly, running to Lin's mother. "This is Harry Potter, Lily and James' boy."

She led her to Harry, who looked a bit awkward.

"How nice it is to finally meet you," Lin's mother said, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "I am Adolfa, Lin's mother. I was also the cousin of one of your parents' dear friend and was a few years above them. I became friends with them after we all left Hogwarts… I do hope my couple of photos got to you."

"Yes. I got all the photos Hagrid received in an album. Thank you, I really appreciate them," Harry said, giving her a handshake.

Everyone looked at the scene in silence, Aunt Molly sniffling into a handkerchief.

"Well," Uncle Arthur said, breaking the silence, "let's get to dinner, shall we?"

Lin introduced Hermione to her parents and then they all sat down. The adults and Percy sat in one half of a long row of tables, and the rest in the other.

They started eating and the adults began making small conversation.

"A muggle-born? Fascinating!" Lin heard her father suddenly exclaim.

"Oh no," Lin said. "If my Dad excessively questions you about Muggles, just cry for help and I will _try_ to rescue you. Like Uncle Arthur, he finds Muggles 'simple fascinating,'" Lin apologized.

"It's fine. I have gotten used to it," Hermione answered, laughing.

"Have you thought about what House you might be in?" asked Ginny.

"Well, I'm not sure. Mum was in Ravenclaw, you all are in Gryffindor, and I know people in the Hufflepuff and Slytherin. I don't know where I see myself," Lin answered.

"Who do you know that's in Slytherin?" asked Harry.

"Draco. Draco Malfoy. I don't think you may have heard of him. He was a private boy when I knew him," she said.

They all looked at her, then started making gagging and huffing noises.

"Just how do you know him?" Ron scoffed.

"His parents used to invite us to dinner through my dad. Is he that bad?"

"The worst," said Harry. "He was probably told to keep quiet because his parents wanted to gain your Dad's favor for influence. Otherwise, he might have ruined everything."

Lin thought about this and then believed it would be plausible. He did seem quite haughty.

"Anyway, I'm sure you will make Gryffindor," Fred said after momentary silence.

"Or we will shred that mangy old hat to bits," said George.

"You would be in class with us three, right?" asked Harry, motioning at Ron and Hermione.

"Well, for some reason, the children of the 'noble', basically pure-bloods families with money in Spain always start school one year before the other students their age do. I suppose it's a power thing. They think themselves royalty. Anyway, I will be starting my fourth year not my third… Sorry," Lin apologized after she saw Hermione's face fall a bit. Lin guessed she didn't have many female friends her age.

"You know, you should join the Quidditch team! Heard you were in one at your old school," said Fred.

"And I am sure Oliver would love to have the daughter of _Xabi Loco_!" said George.

"Who's that?" asked Ron, confused.

"Goodness Ron, don't you read? _Xabi Loco_ is the name Lin's father used as an alias while playing Quidditch for Spain since his family did not allow him to do it freely. It is a play on the name of his younger half-brother, Xabi, and his goal. His brother's unfortunately _loco_, or crazy goal is to become Headmaster of DIMA. It's crazy because he is a half-blood, and only purebloods get high positions, like Lin's father would," Hermione explained.

Lin looked at her, stunned. _She knew all that just by hearing Xabi Loco?_

"So, why didn't your dad work for DIMA or the ministry? -" said Ron.

"They did offer him a job, but my dad didn't want it. His uncle asked the Headmaster to give him a teaching position, but my dad decided he wanted to work in a place with more freedom and less prejudices. He met my mother, then left Spain... Anyway, how long have you and Hermione been together, Ron?" Lin said trying to change the conversation.

Harry, Fred, George, and Ginny all started laughing uncontrollably. Ron and Hermione blushed.

"We are not together!" retorted Ron.

"Just friends, fortunately," said Hermione. Then, she started giggling, "Why did Fred call you Ron's wife?"

Fred and George howled with laughter as they tried to explain the story.

"One day dear little Ginny and Lin were playing a game of house-"

"-when Ginny said 'I wish you were my older sister-'"

"-Ron happened to walk by-"

"-and Ginny married them!"

They laughed some more.

"That isn't everything though."

"Ed, Lin's younger brother, wanted to see what was happening-"

"-and Lin married Ginny and Ed!"

"We forgot tell you Harry,"

"You have competition!"

"Oh, come on! We were like seven!" Lin said.

Now Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Lin were all blushing and Lin gave Fred and George proper kicks under the table.

"So Dad, how are we getting to King's Cross?" asked Fred after composing himself.

"The Ministry is providing us a few cars for the trip," Uncle Arthur answered.

Everyone stared at him.

_Why the sudden obsession with transportation from the Ministry? Just yesterday we used our own car to travel, but suddenly, they prohibit it when they heard we were coming to the Leaky Cauldron? _Lin thought. Then she saw a wanted poster of Sirius Black on a wall and suddenly realized. _Harry._

"Why?" Percy finally asked.

"Well because of you!" said George sounding serious. "A whole cavalry will come actually, and they will carry flags with HB on them-"

"- for Humongous Bighead," said Fred.

Everyone snorted except Percy and Aunt Molly. Even Lin's mother had to admit the joke was pretty funny.

"Why is the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again.

Uncle Arthur and Lin's father looked at each other.

"Well because your dad, Adolfa, and I all work in the Ministry of course. They wanted to treat us for working hard," Lin's father lied, covering for Uncle Arthur.

"There are so many of us too," Lin's mother added.

"And imagine how we would have looked in the Muggle Underground with all your luggage! Everyone is packed I hope," said Aunt Molly.

"Well, Ron hasn't finished packing and dumped everything on my bed," complained Percy.

"Ron, you better go and pack. Everyone should double check too, we don't want to leave anything tomorrow," said Aunt Molly.

Lin heard a familiar rhythmic clink of fork on plate. She looked at Fred and he winked. She remembered that this was the signal Fred and George made when they wanted to discuss a prank as children.

"Well, I think we are going to do just that, Mum" Fred said as he and George rose from the table.

"Weren't you going to give me some notes you had from last year?" Lin asked them, trying to make an excuse to leave with them.

"Oh right! Thank you for reminding us," said George.

"You know Lin, I have an organized set of notes from my previous years I could lend you. I don't think these two have ever taken notes before," said Percy pompously.

"They are more like tips really," said Fred.

"Yes, I think we've got this covered," added George.

"Okay, make sure everything is packed then," Lin's mother said, eyeing them suspiciously.

They went up and decided to discuss things in the two boys' room.

"You remembered the signal! Brilliant! So, we heard that Percy made himself your official babysitter-" said Fred

"-and we had a feeling you would help us pull a small prank on him, for good measure," said George.

"Well, I don't do that anymore. I only followed you to tell you this," said Lin.

"Don't tell me you've gone soft!" said Fred.

"What happened to the girl that loved to pull pranks on Ron and Percy?" asked George.

"She was beaten out of me at DIMA, and I grew up too…" she answered.

"Come one, this one last prank!" Fred pleaded.

"For old times' sake!" George begged.

"Fine. The last one! No more after this, you hear?"

"Great! We were thinking that while we distracted Percy-"

"-you would go in, swipe his Head Boy badge, and we would improve it-"

"-to read Bighead Boy!"

They laughed but Lin somewhat smiled.

"Like I said, I straightened out. I won't just go in and steal his badge," she said.

"That is exactly what Percy believes! It's perfect," said Fred.

She looked at them and opened her mouth to say something, but they heard people coming from downstairs.

"Okay go! Too late for me to back out now I guess," she said.

They all went to their places. Lin sneaked into Ron and Percy's room, took the shiny badge from the bedside table, and left without disturbing anything. She met with Fred and George back in their room, they waved their wands at it, and it changed right in her hands. She couldn't help but laughing along with them and handed it to Fred.

"May I leave now? I don't want to be around when Percy finds out it's missing," Lin said.

"Yes, you may rest my lady. The deed is done," replied Fred.

She rolled her eyes but smiled and left the room. She entered her own room, but noticed her mother sitting on her bed, looking annoyed.

"Up to your old habits again Belinda?" her mother scolded her is Spanish.

"Don't know what you're talking about. They were just telling me a few things about Hogwarts."

There was a commotion and the voice of an angry Percy came from down the hallway.

"Right. Look Lin, I am warning you now, any problems at Hogwarts and I will hear of it, believe me. You are there to get an education, not cause disruption. Fred is a nice boy, but you can't spend too much time with him and his prankster reputation," Lin's mother said.

"You do know George is always there too? They kind of make up a package," Lin said, chuckling at her mother and opened her trunk to check over it.

"Yes, but George isn't the one you kissed two days before you 'married' Ron. That is why Fred is bitter and brings it up you know, you kind of hurt his feelings," her mother said, amused.

"Oh come one, kisses and marriages don't count at that age. Plus, George and I were playing a game of who can make the other one laugh first. I won," laughed Lin, proudly.

"Attracting pranksters runs in my side of the family, Lin. Your dad, Fred, a boy from school, unfortunately,-"

"-What? Who?-"

"-were all ensnared despite our smarts and reluctance. It doesn't have to be romantic, but when we arrive, they come," Lin's mother said chuckling as she got up to leave. "Just remember my warning. I will know what you're up to! To bed."

She closed the door and left Lin completely confused. What had she just heard from her mother? She began to laugh hard.

"Yeah, no. I don't think I will ever have a romantic relation with any of the Weasleys! I am too close to them!"

She got into her pyjamas and climbed into bed.

"This is going to be one interesting year," she said, and then drifted to sleep.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I will try to dish out a couple chapters every week.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which are trademarked by J. K. Rowling**

* * *

**Dragons at Hogwarts: The Gift**

**(HP:PoA)**

Chapter 3: Crazy Train

Lin woke up early with excitement.

"Today is the day! I'm finally going to Hogwarts!" she exclaimed.

She jumped out of bed, took Hector out for a walk, fed him, then showered.

"How are you going to tame that bird's nest?" asked the mirror when she stepped in front of it.

"You know, that's quite rude," grumbled Lin "But I have my tricks."

She grabbed her wand and started her complex hair routine. Having not cared much about her looks since the break up with her only boyfriend, her hair had become unruly, and today it made her feel extremely self-conscious; she was plain, but not ugly.

_At least, I'll look almost average now, _she thought as she worked.

"There! Locks tamed and gray hairs hidden, for the most part anyway," she muttered after a few minutes. She grabbed the first articles of clothing she could fish out of her trunk and put them on.

Lin went downstairs and saw that some people were already awake.

"Get your beauty rest?" asked Fred scaring her from behind. "Apparently, your getaway last night wasn't as clean as you thought. You spilled something on Percy's picture of his girlfriend and he's blaming Ron. My day is already made!"

"Glad I helped," she said sarcastically as he sat in front of her. "Where's George? Is he not coming down to thank me too?"

"He is organizing our, er, effects. By my count, we should become 'ill' about four times this year. Want in?" he asked.

Lin's parents came down and sat with Uncle Arthur.

"No, I think I will have to pass. Mum threatened me saying that she'll know if I do something wrong," she answered.

"Percy. That git," said Fred looking annoyed.

Soon, everyone went up to collect their trunks and pets, heaved them all down, and started to make way to the two Ministry cars.

"Lin, your mother and I got an owl this morning saying the Ministry wants us to do some work outside the country. I will be in Bulgaria and other places, and your mother in Spain," Lin's father informed her.

"I'm sorry dear, but we won't be able to accompany you to King's Cross," said Lin's mother looking quite sad.

"It's fine Mum, I'm not ten. Besides, Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur will be there."

Lin tried to sound like she didn't care, but the news lowered her spirits. She hugged her parents, a bit tighter than she intended, and remembered something.

"I bought a collar for Finley! If you see Ed, tell him that he owes me a few Sickles…. I'm joking! Just tell him to keep up with his work and write to me. That boy needs constant reminding."

She gave her mother the collar and then made her way to the Ministry cars. Uncle Arthur, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and, to her luck, Percy were in the first car while the rest were in the second.

The ride was pretty quiet, except for a few jokes from Fred and George and a few lectures from Aunt Molly. They arrived at King's Cross, the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, and they made their way to an area between platforms nine and ten.

"Alright, we should pair off. Harry, you and I should go through first," said Uncle Arthur.

They walked in a quick pace and headed straight for a metal ticket box, but instead of crashing, they disappeared. Ginny and Percy went next, Hermione and Ron, Fred and George, and finally Lin and Aunt Molly.

She got through the barrier and a beautiful red steam locomotive appeared right in front of her.

_The Hogwarts Express! It transports every student to school AND works year round, unlike in DIMA's ships._ She thought. DIMA had ships that stopped at major cities of the Mediterranean, but they only worked to transport students for school functions.

She looked around at all the students and parents on the platform. Everyone around her age was already familiar with each other, so she followed Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

_Maybe they will let me sit with them?_ She asked herself.

Suddenly, George intercepted her.

"You'll be sitting with us," George said, steering her trolley towards a center carriage. "We'll introduce you to our friend. All _they'll_ do is gossip and talk about the greater good."

"Isn't that what you should be doing?" Lin stated, but went with him anyway. She put her belongings in the compartment he directed her to, and went back to the platform.

Aunt Molly hugged everyone and told them to write to her. She retrieved sandwiches from her handbag and distributed them.

Lin noticed that Uncle Arthur was standing by a pillar, but before she could go over to him, Fred and George guided her away by her shoulders.

They got back to the compartment, when she noticed a boy with dreadlocks waiting inside.

"Lin this is Lee Jordan, Quidditch game commentator, fellow prankster, and our dear friend," said George.

"Hi, nice too meet you," she greeted him, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you too! George tells me you once won a bet by kissing Fred when you were younger. Nice one!"

"Really now!" she barked at George, blushing while Fred cleared his throat and quickly took a seat. Hector barked as if mocking her.

"I'll just warn you, I don't have a filter," Lee told her, motioning her to take the next to him. "Your dog gave me a fright earlier, but I think he likes me now."

The train began to move and the boys relaxed, but Lin still felt very awkward.

"So, classes. What are you going to take?" asked Fred.

"We were thinking we'd help you lighten the load a bit," explained George.

"Well, I don't know. The schools will decide for me," Lin answered. Hogwarts and DIMA had differences in curriculum, so they would put her in the classes that her work showed skill.

"Well, just tell us what you took last year, and we will begin slashing," said Lee.

"Okay. I took their core classes: Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, History of Magic, Herbology, Transfiguration, and Muggle Studies. Last year for electives I had, Care of Magical Creatures, Magical Linguistics. I took private dueling and Quidditch lessons. Oh, and did some work for Divination and Astronomy, though that was more about reading books than practical experience."

They stared at her.

"No wonder you changed so much, you didn't have a life," sighed Fred.

"Hey, I would occasionally skip class to watch one of those muggle 'movers' with my half-blood friend Lesley. So I wasn't exceptional, you know," Lin said.

"Yeah but all those, Quidditch and dueling lessons? You must be really good!" said Lee.

"There is a reason I needed lessons in the first place," Lin responded.

"In any case, we'll relieve your stress," said George. "First of all, at Hogwarts, Muggle Studies is an elective while Astronomy is core. There are no Quidditch lessons, just the House teams, and we did have Dueling Club once last year-"

"But it was a complete and utter failure. Amusing though," said Fred.

"Second, Divination and Astronomy are electives here, so you have four electives in reality," continued George.

"I would recommend choosing two of the four," said Lee. "You will have more time to do your work since they bump up the load fourth year, and it seems like Quidditch is time consuming as well."

"Muggle Studies would be easy for you, since you're ahead, but choose what you like and weren't forced into," advised Fred.

She thought about it. _That's easy, Magical Linguistics and Divination._ She always found Magical Linguistics interesting, though she needed to work hard for it, and even if she didn't have any practical experience with Divination, the textbooks did make her curious.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" asked a plump woman from outside, pushing a cart full of treats.

"None for me, thanks. I have some sandwiches," she answered, but Fred, George, and Lee bought a few snacks.

"What? We're growing boys!" said Fred.

They began eating and after a few minutes, a burly and very handsome boy walked into the compartment.

"Hello boys, hope you've been practicing during the summer. Lee, good to see you. Er, sorry, I don't think I've seen you before?" asked the extremely attractive boy.

"We can't even eat without you barking at us about Quidditch," protested Fred.

"Lin, this is Oliver Wood, Quidditch Captain. Oliver, this is Belinda Arden, Xabi Loco's daughter," introduced George.

"Blimey! Is that true? That's bloody brilliant!" exclaimed Oliver, as he stuck out his hand to greet her.

Lin, who had sandwich in her mouth, wiped her hand on her jeans, accidentally knocked Hector off of her lap, and ended up just waving at Oliver awkwardly.

"Right. Well we were thinking she should try out for the team now that Alicia decided classes were more important," said George.

"Left a hole in the team and our hearts," added Fred.

"Yeah that sounds great! She still wants to help the team, I am sure she would help train you. Quidditch trials are in the second week of classes" said Oliver. He left the compartment muttering "Xabi Loco's daughter on the team!"

"Tut-tut," chimed Fred.

"We saw you! You fancy Oliver don't you?" asked George.

"Almost destroyed the whole compartment," added Lee.

"What? Me? No, I don't fancy anyone," babbled Lin.

"We can't have you dating the captain if you are on the team, Lin," said Fred. "It could lead to unnecessary bickering!"

At that moment, the train began to slow down. The wind and rain howled louder and louder, as the train slowed even further.

"What's happening?" George asked as Fred stuck his head out the door.

"I, dont-"

The train gave a sudden jolt and stopped, throwing Fred back into his seat. The lights flickered a bit, then went out. Everything grew cold and Lin noticed the window frost over. Hector, whose hair was on end, jumped out of Lin's lap, grew into his full size and snarled at the door.

They heard whimpers and squeals of fear getting louder, as if something grew nearer...

"Fred, lock the door," Lin commanded, scared out of her wits at what could cause Hector to act like this.

Before he could reach it, though, a bleach blond boy came bursting in, locked the door, and fell to the ground, panting. Soon after, two large boys began to pound at the compartment door.

"LET US IN, DRACO!"

"OPEN THE DOOR!"

"AHHHHH!"

They both ran, screaming at the top of their lungs. Hector jumped on the boy, which Lin recognized as Draco Malfoy, and continued snarling at the door.

"What are you-" Fred began, but was soon speechless upon the frightening sight.

They saw a cloaked figure appear in front of the door, and Hector began to bark like mad. It turned its head towards them, seemed to find Hector annoying, and then moved on, creating more squeals.

They passed the next minute in complete silence. Draco stood up and stared at them, fear still written on his face.

"If – if you tell anyone I was here, I'll… I'll tell someone you have an illegal giant dog!" he stammered. He left the compartment, slamming the door shut.

"What in the bloody depths of Merlin's pit-toilet was that?" Lee finally asked.

Lin, who was shaking, could not respond, for she felt a wall of fear lodged on top of her lungs.

"No idea," answered George.

Hector, who stopped barking, grabbed a couple of Fred's chocolate frogs from the seat, and handed them to Lin. The lights came back on, and Hector sat in front of the door, still full grown.

Lin distributed the chocolate and laid her head on the window. She remembered her break up with her boyfriend and the look of disappointment from her great-uncle every time he saw her. He was the current Herbology professor at DIMA, the subject she was the most terrible in.

After some time, Hector gave a single bark and Lin looked out the compartment door window. A familiar person, who was jogging towards the front of the train, stopped for a moment at the sound of the bark, then left.

_No, it can't be._ She thought. _He's off doing who knows what._

"I'm going out to change," she said, finally gaining her wits back.

She looked at the hallway now packed with students. _No sign of him_. She found a restroom, changed into her uniform, and went back to her compartment.

"Lin in a skirt? My, she's looks like an actual, respectable young lady!" Fred joked. Everyone seemed to have changed as well.

"Piss off," Lin retorted, punching him then took her seat. Hector shrunk and shook his lost hair all throughout the compartment. They had to spend the next couple of minutes cleaning everything.

Finally, the train stopped at Hogsmead station. She followed Fred, George, and Lee to a coach, climbed in and they were off. After a while, the carriage finally arrived at magnificent iron gates and they headed towards the school grounds

"It's gorgeous!" Lin exclaimed as she took in the beauty of Hogwarts.

"Wait till you see the inside," said George.

She walked through the front doors and saw beautiful marble staircases moving above her.

"Professor Flitwick! This is Lin Arden. She just transferred here. Can you help her with the Sorting?" George asked.

"You're in luck! I am leading the Sorting this year," squeaked Professor Flitwick, a small man. He led her to the Great Hall. "Your mother told me you were coming! She was in my House you know? Don't you worry, I'll take good care of you!"

Everyone in the Great Hall calmed down and put their attention to the front of the room. The first years lined up behind Lin. An old battered hat on a stool began to sing a song about the Four Houses, and when it finished, people clapped and Professor Flitwick began talking.

"Greeting, students! We have a rare Sorting today! A transfer student all the way from Spain! Now, I know many of you are already acquainted with each other, but I do hope that whatever House she ends up in, you make her feel welcome. That goes for the first years as well," he said. "Arden, Belinda."

Blushing, she walked up to the stool, sat down, and the tiny professor levitated the hat to her head, which covered her eyes.

W_hat a strange individual you are,_ said the hat in her mind. _Determined, stubborn, fairly intelligent... Hmm… where would you sort yourself?_

"I don't know... I- I want to find my own path, not do what my family tells me. I want to stand up for the defenseless, try new things, find my purpose," she declared. The hat unlocked this within her which she never told anyone.

_I know where I will put you then._

"Gryffindor!" it boomed out loud.

She removed the hat, ran over to the Gryffindor table, who cheered, and sat next to Lee. She had a wide smile on her face but inside, she felt relieved that it was over.

"Told you! Did the hat make the decision quickly?" asked Fred.

"No. I think it was so stumped, it practically made _me_ decide," she answered.

"Ah, so _you_ decided. Was it because a certain someone is in Gryffindor?" George teased.

"No! I wouldn't do this for some boy!" she retorted.

"Course not," said Fred.

"Definitely not," said George.

"What about a _couple_ of boys?"

"That seems more like it!"

The boys sniggered. Lin rolled her eyes and put her attention on the Sorting Ceremony.

After all the first years were sorted, Harry and Hermione walked into the Great Hall. Lin noticed people pointing at Harry and mumbling among themselves.

"Neville told us that Harry fainted. That dementor did it," whispered George.

They sat down around Ron, and Hermione congratulated her for making Gryffindor.

An aged wizard with half-moon spectacles appeared in front of the room and everyone grew silent. Lin recognised this man, from the many chocolate frogs she has eaten, as Albus Dumbledore.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Before we feast, I have a few important things to tell you all. Dementors from Azkaban, are stationed at every entrance to the school for some Ministry business. You may have seen them on the ride here, so you are well aware of how frightful they are. If you get in their way, they unfortunately, will not be very merciful. Please avoid giving them reason to harm you," announced Professor Dumbledore.

"On a lighter note, let me announce the new additions to our teaching staff!" he continued. "Professor R. J. Lupin has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

There was a small smattering of clamps here and there.

"No, no, no, no," she said under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Lee whispered.

"-Place taken by none other but our own Rubeus Hagrid," Dumbledore said. More people clapped this time.

"That's my uncle," Lin admitted.

"Hagrid's your uncle?" Fred asked.

"No... Lupin is!" she answered.

They stared at her.

"Easier time for you then. Mind putting in a good word for us?" Lee asked.

"Well, I believe I've said everything. Let us eat!" Dumbledore exclaimed, and platters full of food appeared before them.

"_Not_ easier. My mother was warning me about something. Guess this was it. And all this time, I thought _Percy_ was going to watch me," she explained as she grabbed a few items of food. "He's Mum's cousin, but her parents died when she was fifteen, so she went to live with his family. They act like brother and sister."

"Well, we did become quite close in the two years she lived with us," announced Uncle Remus from behind her.

Even though she dreaded the thought of him hounding around her, she loved him, and he was her favourite uncle. Lin hugged him tightly.

"Congratulations! You decided to take my route instead of your mother's it seems. I believe I won that bet," he chuckled. "Don't tell your mum I'm boasting, though. She'd probably blast me to bits. Well, I better get back to the table. I'm quite famished."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her anything if you don't," she answered. "And congratulations on your new job. I think that you'll do great!"

He left and they ate their food heartily. Once the feast was over, Percy led the Gryffindors to a tower, and stopped in front of the portrait of a Fat Lady.

"Fortuna Major!" Percy recited and the portrait swung open, revealing a hidden scarlet and gold common room.

"If one were tired, where would they sleep?" Lin asked.

"Oi, Katie come 'ere," hollered Fred.

"Lin, this is Katie Bell. Katie, Lin," said George. "Katie's on the Quidditch team and in your year."

"Why don't you take Lin to your dormitory? Maybe help with questions?" asked Fred.

"Sure!" Katie said smiling.

She led her up the girls' stair case and into a room with four four-poster beds.

"How cute, you have a puppy!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you," Lin answered, going to the bed in which Hector laid.

"Oliver told me you want to try out for the team?" she asked.

"Oh yeah? Yeah," she blundered, blushing.

"Ah, I see someone has a bit of a crush," she giggled.

"Katie, you in here?" hollered a girl, who led herself into the room. Another girl followed behind her. "We've been looking for you!"

"Lin, this is Angelina, current chaser, and Alicia, former chaser," said Katie.

"Ah, you're the one Oliver's been telling me about. I'm your trainer then," said Alicia, giving her a handshake.

"Just warning you now, Oliver works us pretty hard," said Angelina.

"I don't believe she'll mind," said Katie. "She _fancies_ him."

Lin turned bright red, and the girls giggled.

"Oliver is not a guy I would go for, but to each their own," said Alicia.

"Well, show me a guy more handsome, and I'll try to see it your way," Lin said and they all laughed.

"You got spunk! We're gonna need someone like that on the team now that she left," Angelina said motioning at Alicia with her head.

"Quidditch trials are next week so just tell me what you're schedule is like and I'll help you train. Get you an upper advantage on the rest... and maybe more time with Oliver," Alicia teased.

"Alright I think she's tired, let's go catch up downstairs and leave her to rest," Katie said. They left the room and Lin went to her trunk and changed.

"Everyone is happier here than in DIMA," she told Hector. "How about I write to Ed and send it to him tomorrow?"

Hector barked approvingly and she began to write.

_Dear Eddie,_

_Hogwarts is amazing! Everyone here is friendly and easygoing. I sent a collar your way through Mum. Turns out Uncle Remus is the new D.A.D.A. prof here so I will tell him you say "hi". Hector sends Finley his regards._

_Love,_

_Lin_

_P.S. Remember to do your work since I'm not there to tell you every day!_

_P.P.S. I met Harry Potter! He's not brawny like people in Spain believe, but he is nice._

She put the letter in an envelope, set it on her bedside table, and climbed into bed with Hector at her feet. She quickly fell asleep, having dreams of giving Oliver a love potion.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I will try to dish out a couple chapters every week.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which are trademarked by J. K. Rowling**

* * *

**Dragons at Hogwarts: The Gift**

**(HP:PoA)**

Chapter 4: Start Me Up

Lin and Oliver sat next to each other in a nook of the common room. She looked into his eyes and took his hands in hers.

"Oliver... I... I like you," Lin admitted.

Oliver stared straight back.

"I like you too," he told her.

They moved in closer, erasing the space between them. Their lips were about to touch-

But, instead of kissing her, he started rubbing the top of his head all over her face.

"Oliver?" She said, hair in her mouth. "What... are you... doing?"

He began whining like a dog, bumping her face with his nose.

Suddenly, he stopped, looked up at her and-

"OUCH!"

Everything went dark and there was pain coming from her big toe. She reached into the darkness and eventually felt something fluffy. The fluffy thing began to whine, but this time, she knew what was happening.

"Hector, I already told you that I don't want you biting my feet," she whispered angrily while Hector continued to cry. "Okay, enough whining. I'm getting up."

She opened the bed-curtains and saw that the sun had not yet risen. Len checked the time on the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

_Ugh, two hours before I wanted to wake up_, she thought. _Might as well send the letter now._

She got ready and quietly left the room with Hector.

"Alright, where is the Owlery," she said, talking to Hector. "West Tower… Let's get going then."

They climbed through the portrait hole, Lin giving Hector a bit of a boost, and tried to find their way to the Owlery. When she reached about thirty minutes of wandering around, Lin finally gave up.

"Where's a prefect? They should be patrolling somewhere near, right?"

"No, but luckily, I'm here."

She jumped with fright. Hector, on the other hand, gave a joyful bark. Lin turned around and saw her Uncle Remus laughing behind her.

"Why does everyone have the sudden interest on scaring me?" she sighed.

"Because you're being too tense and anxious recently. An easy target," he chuckled. "Just relax and take in your surroundings, or you'll always get lost."

"Just show me where the Owlery is," she said smiling. It always amazed her how Uncle Remus would say the most beautiful, but annoying things to teach her lessons.

They began walking through the beautiful, yet lonely corridors. Lin took her uncle's advice and tried to remember every single detail around her, but she quickly gave up as they turned corners and climbed moving staircases. The portraits on the walls were yawning and waking up from their slumber.

"Why _are_ you looking for the Owlery so early in the morning?" Uncle Remus asked, looking skeptical.

"Well, I wrote Eddie a letter, and I planned to send it after classes today… but Hector woke me up early," she told him, giving Hector an annoyed look. She vaguely remembered her dream and started feeling butterflies in her stomach.

"I was actually on my way there as well… Your Mum likes to check on me from time to time," he said. "I think she believes I can't take care of myself."

They got to the Owlery, the floor full of animal and owl droppings, and she shuddered. Hector sniffed around and decided to bark at the owls up too high for him to reach. Lin tip-toed through the room, gagging.

"Still afraid of owls?" Uncle Remus asked, amused.

"I'm not _afraid_ of them, per se. I just find some of their… natural qualities a tad disturbing. I'm completely fine with them when they aren't giving their digestive systems some practice," she told him as she handed him her letter.

They decided to use the same owl since their letters would arrive around the destination. Lin ducked and covered her head with her arms as it flew, just in case the bird made any droppings. This turned out to be a good idea because just then, a familiar screech owl swooped in, dropped a large package at her feet and perched on her arms. He pecked at her hair until she retrieved the post from his leg, and then flew away.

Uncle Remus found this whole ordeal quite entertaining.

"I'm sure you also don't like them pecking at you," he laughed. "Is your mum still breeding owls?"

"Yes and unfortunately, _Pica _has to be her precious baby," she whined.

Uncle Remus picked up the package and dusted it off while Lin read the letter aloud.

_Lin,_

_I got fan mail from a boy at your school (I thought those days were over!). He said he was the Keeper and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Remus informed me that you made that House. Congratulations! Anyway, here is your broom for try-outs. Make your old man proud!_

_Tu Papá_

She opened her package and saw the Cleansweep Seven, her trusty broom.

"Lin, you should probably go get ready. Owl posts usually mean that breakfast is currently happening. You might be late to class," he urged her while she began fumbling with the package. "Don't worry, I will take care of your broom. Just get to class. Good luck!"

"Thank you! I hope you have a great first day at teaching, Uncle!" she hollered as she sped off.

She ran to the Great Hall to retrieve her timetable to which Professor McGonagall said, "Are you sure you want to make these changes? It might make your parents a bit upset," but changed it anyway with a flick of her wand. She then hurried to her room, dropped off Hector, picked up her books and fixed her newly messed up hair, and then ran to her first class.

The day turned out not to be the perfect first day Lin expected.

To start, she forgot to read the chapter on bubotubers assigned for Double Herbology during the summer, so she was already behind on the class she was worst at. She also knew no one but Katie Bell, so she stayed around Katie's vicinity, but did not impose herself on her for the whole class time. During the break, she tried to read the chapter that she missed while eating an apple from the fruit bowl since she missed breakfast.

Next, she had Magical Linguistics. The professor was a short, Russian woman nearing her elderly years and had a stern face. Lin took a seat next to a Ravenclaw girl since Katie did not have this class.

"So, today we have new student. Let me introduce myself again, I suppose. My name is Vasilisa Yazyk from Yakutia, Russia. I speak many languages, and will be teaching you to speak Troll this term," she announced. "The foreign student is from Spain. Please give her warm English welcome and ask her questions about her culture. Miss Belinda Arden."

She pointed at Lin, whose face glowed red with embarrassment.

"I was actually born and raised in Devon. I just went to school in Spain because of my father's family traditions," she explained sheepishly.

"Oh, well, that is not as interesting as I thought," she laughed kindly with the rest of the class.

Throughout the class though, the Ravenclaw girl took the professor's words seriously and kept asking her about her former school life. She seemed curious and was probably trying to relieve Lin's nerves, but the professor took notice of their whispers.

"Ahem," she coughed. "I did not mean to talk her _now,_ I meant during your own time."

This cost both Houses two points each.

She ate lunch with Ginny and then headed for Double Divination. It was quite a climb to get there, but she did not get lost because she remembered the map from earlier that morning and some of the turns from her walk to the Owlery. She entered the classroom through a trap door and instantly smelled the burning incense. Fluffy pillows and dimly lit candles scattered the room, creating a mystical atmosphere.

"Hey, Lin! Come sit with me," offered Katie. "You can also just stick with me during the other classes. I can introduce you to my friend Leanne during Transfiguration later this week. We have it with the Hufflepuffs."

_Wow, Katie is a really nice girl! _Lin thought, _Kind of reminds me of Lesley..._

"Hush now class," said odd looking witch. Lin checked her timetable to see the professor's name, _Sybill Trelawney_. "Today we will review what we learned last year. Please look into the crystal balls and broaden your minds."

Lin looked into the ball and saw fog. She couldn't see anything at all.

"Is this what you did last year?" she asked Lin, surprised.

"Yes. And all we ever see is nothing," Katie chuckled.

"Remember class, you must empty your head of mortal worries so you can become intact with your Inner Eye," she emphasized.

_This is not what I expected,_ she thought. _Might as well give it a try... Don't think. Just stare at the ball. You are clearing your mind…_

"Alright, would anyone like to demonstrate?" she asked the class, tripping on her robes while flitting to the front. "Gaasp! You, my dear, you aura is pulsing! Come, come!"

She was pointing at Lin, and she had no choice but to go forward. She sat on the chair across Professor Trelawney and stared at the foggy orb.

"What do you see?" the professor questioned her. Professor Trelawney stared at her with eyes magnified by her glasses.

_Maybe I can pretend I'm watching clouds and _think_ that I see something, _she pondered. _All I have to do is imagine that I see it, and then give the proper meaning from the books I read at DIMA. That small collection looks like something..._

"Er, I see a butter knife? That means reunion."

"Are you sure you don't see a dagger, perhaps?" Professor Trelawney pushed. "A dagger means murder and death."

She stared some more. _No, that looks more like a butter knife, if that._

"Sorry, Professor. I don't see a dagger."

"Alright, you may go back to your seat," she said, seeming to give up. "Earlier today, I have predicted the unfortunate demise of one of our students. When I read the tea leaves of poor Mister Potter, I saw the Grim in his cup, poor boy. I see now, the death omens are everywhere!"

They spent the rest of the class learning about Astrology and the meaning of the planets' positions during their birth.

"As homework, give me a brief summary on the planetary movements and how they will affect you during the next month," she announced. "Remember to always use your personal chart as a reference. I want it done next Monday, please."

During dinner, the students from all the rest of the years had heard that the Malfoy boy was scratched by a hippogriff.

_Mr. Malfoy will probably try to get Professor Hagrid into trouble, _she contemplated. _From what I remember, he takes jokes about his family not too lightly, much less being ridiculed like this._

"Did you actually see a butter knife?" Katie asked Lin.

"Er, well it took a lot of imagining and wishful thinking," she said.

"But you came relatively close! I usually have to make something up out of nowhere," Katie told her.

"Don't you see shapes that the fog makes? Just look at a bundle and pretend it makes a familiar object," Lin said.

"That's just it. I see a milky fog. No chance for shapes."

The rest of the week went by a lot smoother. Lin learned different tricks to stay on the professors' good sides. For example, she learned that one should not answer Professor Snape's questions with the phrase "I think" nor did he readily give points to Gryffindor, so it was best if she didn't say anything at all during class. Also, it seemed like Professor Binns, the History of Magic professor who was also a ghost, did not notice if you slept in class, so as long as you read the textbook beforehand, you would do fine for the homework.

She also set up a training session with Alicia Spinnet for Saturday and when the day arrived, she couldn't help but feel a little excited. She and Alicia went to the Quidditch Pitch early in the morning and began the session.

"Have you ever worked with a team before?" Alicia asked.

"Not a serious one. Only when I played with the Weasleys and sometimes in school," Lin told her. "My lessons usually consisted of one-on-ones with a Keeper or another Chaser."

"Well the good thing is that you will be grouped with other chasers and will have to outscore each other, so not much team work is required there," she explained. "Let's see what you got though. How about you try to shoot at the goals while I block and attempt at stealing the Quaffle?"

They went up into the air, Alicia on one side and Lin on the other. They flew towards each other and Alicia threw the ball at Lin, and then circled around to follow her. Lin, trying to defend the ball, tried to jab Alicia with her elbow and push her away. When she got close to the hoops, she aimed, and the Quaffle went through its target. They did this a few times before Alicia called for a break. Alicia seemed to be panting and rubbing her ribs.

"How am I doing?" Lin finally asked.

"You have great aim, and are pretty good at keeping the Quaffle, maybe a little too good," Alicia said. Once she saw Lin's confusion, she decided to explain a little further. "You are a bit aggressive. Oliver will take that into account. Aggressiveness could lead to a lot of fouls."

"Is there something I can do less of?" Lin asked, looking rather abashed.

"Try not to jab at the players so much. Carry the ball closer to your chest so you can feel more secure about it," she advised. "Also, you are a fair flyer, so try not to slam into other players, because you can knock them off their broom, resulting in a foul."

"Thanks," she groaned, feeling even more embarrassed.

They practiced a bit more, Lin tried to correct her mistakes until Alicia believed they had enough.

"You got a bit better! We can practice once more before trials if you want," Alicia offered as they went to go see Madam Hooch.

Madam Hooch put Lin down for tryouts and then Lin and Alicia went off to lunch. They sat with Fred, George, and Lee.

"So how'd the newbie do?" asked George.

"She's pretty good. Just needs a bit more work and she should be fine for tryouts. Needs some help with that aggression though," Alicia said.

"Yeah she has that problem. Needs to work on it off the Pitch too!" teased Fred. This earned him a light slap on the shoulder.

"Why _are_ you supposedly aggressive in the first place?" asked Lee curiously.

"Well when you have a Spanish National Keeper for a father who laughs at you went you can't score, you get a bit… angry," she explained.

"Yeah, but I thought you might have gotten over that by now," said Fred.

"Well… my ex-boyfriend was a Keeper, so there's that,"

"_You _had a boyfriend?!" exploded Fred and George simultaneously.

"What's wrong with that? She can't have a boyfriend?" asked Alicia.

"Well you don't know her like we do." said George.

"Yeah, she'd rather beat boys up than date them." added Fred.

"_Use _to! But, that ended up being our problem I guess," she admitted.

"Well that's because no one knows how to handle you," said George.

"'Cept us!" laughed Fred.

"Yeah? Well apparently you're right," Lin said, annoyed.

"Oh come on, we're only joking,"

"Yeah people just gotta get used to you."

"Georgie do you remember what little 3 year old Lin told us when we first met her?"

"Course I do. Freddie."

"Your hair looks like fire!" they both said in unison with squeaky voices.

Alicia and Lee cracked up laughing. Lin couldn't remember that at all but blushed because it seemed completely plausible.

"Apparently you just gotta tap into your three year old self," laughed Lee.

"Well I don't remember my three year old self," chuckled Lin. "And I can't just go around saying 'Lee, your hair looks a bunch of delicious Licorice Wands and Alicia, yours looks like flowing fudge, can we be friends now?'"

"Why thank you! Of course we can," said Lee mimicking a pompous voice.

"See, easy as that," said Fred.

"For you maybe" she laughed.

Fred, George, and Lee finished eating and went to cause mischief, most likely. As they left the two girls behind, Lin felt awkward because they had never talked one on one other than training stuff.

"Those three seem to really like you," Alicia said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah… well I have known Fred and George all my life, as you heard, and I guess Lee has gotten used to me because they always show up while I'm studying telling me crazy stories," she sighed, "and I actually listen."

"Do you get along this well with the other Weasleys?" Alicia asked, chuckling.

"Ron hated me at first actually. Spent most his time with my brother," she laughed. "I mostly hung around Fred, George, and Ginny."

"Oh, ok," Alicia responded. There were a few seconds of silence.

"So… I hope you don't mind me asking, but... why did you decide to focus more on classes? Fred and George said something about it on the Hogwarts Express," Lin asked.

"Well, I actually want to become a wandmaker," Alicia said.

"What?! Are you serious? That is brilliant!"

"Yes, and it takes a lot of work to get there. I was hoping to become Ollivander's assistant for a while before I travel to study wandlore."

"That sounds amazing! And really difficult. No wonder you're working so hard… Would you be able to tell my personality from my wand?"

"Not exactly. I could tell what kind of person that would choose though. What's your wand?"

"Twelve and three-quarter inches, aspen, with a dragon heartstring core?"

"Blimey, it would choose you!" Alicia said laughing.

"What, why? How is that?"

"Well, one day I'll tell you. I think we should go back to the common room and do our homework. I'm sure you have quite a bit since fourth year works students pretty hard. "

They went to the common room and worked. Lin picked up a new habit of eating apples while studying, and grapes while she actually did her work. The fruit bowl had to replenish itself often.

Oliver announced the next day that Quidditch trials were going to happen on Thursday, her birthday. With all the homework that Lin and Alicia had, they couldn't set up another practice session. Lin stressed out the whole week and had to ask the trouble making trio that her ears were off limits. Her father also kept sending her owls with tips and pointers.

Thursday finally rolled around and Lin couldn't concentrate in Double History of Magic in the morning nor Double Potions after lunch. She usually took notes half the time and dozed off the other half in History of Magic, but that day, she was so worked up that she actually stayed awake the whole time. She took the most notes she ever had out of the two weeks. In Potions, she mixed up the antidotes so badly, causing Professor Snape to berate her in front of the whole class. After Potions was over, Lin sped off to the Quidditch pitch and changed into clothes more suitable for the occasion.

"Alright, well today we have twelve Chasers total trying out for one spot. First, let me just say that there is a very low chance that you first years will make it, but thank you for coming out. I will put you into four groups, two of which will face off in the first round, the rest in the second. There will be no Keeper, nor other team members or balls, except the Quaffle. Your team should attempt to score on the opposite goal posts, but the outcome of each match will not reflect your individual chances of making the team. Each round will end when there have been a total of five goals made," explained Oliver. "Any questions?"

Everyone kept silent and looked scared out of their wits, especially the three first years that showed up. Oliver split everyone off into their groups and Lin ended up in the second round with her team made up of sixth and first year boys, as well as herself. Right as she walked to the benches to wait, she looked into the stands and saw some familiar faces. The Weasleys, Lee, Hermione, and Harry were sitting together, while Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were sitting a few rows above them. She knew that the current members of the Quidditch team couldn't root for a specific person that was trying out, but that didn't mean they couldn't say anything about her birthday.

"Happy Birthday, Lin!" yelled Fred.

"We all hope you have a really, REALLY, great day today!" hollered George.

"Remember not to knock anyone off their brooms," shouted Alicia.

The first year on her team gulped and stared at Lin.

"Don't worry, I won't be knocking _you_ off your broom. I can't really say the same for them though," joked Lin sarcastically. The opposing team was looked like it was consisted of older students from fourth year onward.

As the first round went on, Lin noticed that most of the players were being more selfish than helpful to their teams. There was one boy in her year, who, even though a different teammate was clearly open, kept trying to take winning shots but was consistently blocked by an opposer.

"That's McLaggen. Did ya hear that he asked Oliver if he could try out for the other positions as well?" asked the sixth year in her team. "Bloody mental! How does he expect to be Keeper when Oliver _is_ the Keeper and Captain? Argg, and Seeker? Definitely not when we have Harry, the best Seeker in years. No chance he'd be a Beater either."

Lin was making mental notes on the game. _Remember to think of the team. Don't knock anyone off their brooms. Keep the Quaffle close to your body. Do not jab at people…_

The match ended with McLaggen's team winning by four goals over the team that had two first years. Lin's team and their opposers walked onto the field and went into the air to await the Quaffle. Oliver was walking onto the field when Lin suddenly realized something.

_Oh God, Oliver is going to be watching me. A lot of people will see me play for the first time ever, or the first time in a VERY long time, _she ranted internally. _Wait! I shouldn't think like that. I will probably lose focus…_

Oliver blew the whistle and Lin snapped out of her daze. The sixth year in her team quickly grabbed the Quaffle and her team flew straight towards the hoops. The other team was advancing quickly on the sixth year and they began to surround either side of him. He threw the ball at Lin, who caught it.

_Bloody hell, can I make it? Yes! _She chucked the ball hard and made it into the center hoop. There was a commotion from the stands and Lin's nerves subsided a fraction.

Now the other team had a chance to score and sped off to the other end. Lin zoomed right next to the girl with the Quaffle and forcefully shoved her multiple times.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" squealed Lin, realizing she might cause a penalty.

The girl scoffed at her and threw the Quaffle to another teammate who was being followed by the first year, and scored easily. The first year in Lin's team spent most of his time trying to keep himself in the air rather than playing, so his presence in the game was quickly deteriorating. With Lin's help, the sixth year scored another goal for them and it was a while before the other team scored, for each of them wanted the glory. They finally did make a goal when the first year attacked one of them by constantly trying to slap the Quaffle out, and incidentally making a foul.

There was one more goal left to make and Lin had the ball. She sped off into the posts, but a muscular boy came and cut her off. She tried to swivel around him but he kept intercepting her. She tried to look for the sixth year, but he was being blocked by two players.

"Geroff me you big git!" said Lin as the boy kept crashing in to her.

She felt the Quaffle begin to slip through her arms, and she tried to squeeze it in closer to her body. The boy continued to pursue and smash into her, hindering any chance of solid focus. Suddenly, she saw the first year boy completely open and really close to the posts. She decided to take the chance.

"Gah, catch!" she yelled as she hurled the ball towards him.

The boy caught it and sped towards the goal posts, while the burly boy tried to tail after him. The first year threw the ball at the posts, lost his balance along the process and the Quaffle ended up ricocheting off the rim of a hoop. The large boy caught it and sped off towards the other posts, and as much as Lin and the sixth year tried to get the Quaffle back, the other two players blocked them and the burly boy scored. The round was over.

"Alright everyone, please sit in this section of the bleachers while I think over the results. Angelina, could you come help me?" Oliver said. Angelina came over to him and they went a little ways away and began to whisper.

"I'm really sorry!" said the first year. "I could have made that shot, but I lost control of my broom."

"No, it's fine. I heard the school brooms were pretty bad," Lin told him. The boy looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Hey, you tried your best out there. That's what counts. You were pretty good for your first time at something like this."

Oliver and Angelina walked over to them and Lin's stomach began to clench up.

"So, I've come to a decision. It was a pretty close tie between a few of you, but I chose the person who I think showed the best fit to our team. If everyone could please leave in an orderly fashion while I talk to Miss Belinda Arden. Congratulations Lin."

The other competitors somewhat clapped while she heard shouts of joy from the other side of the field.

_I can't believe it… Yeah I think I am going to spew… _she thought as her mouth hung open.

The sixth year boy, first year boy, and the girl from the opposing team gave her pats on the shoulders and left with the rest of the participants. Lin went up to Oliver with her gut and head tingling.

"Are you sure you meant me?" she asked him.

"Yep. You showed a lot of dexterity and vigor out there," Oliver said. "You do need _some_ help so I will ask Alicia to help during the first few practices when she isn't studying, but you were the best of the bunch."

"And you didn't just choose me because of Fred or George... or my dad?"

"No," he laughed. "Angelina warned me of that before I even told her anything. And don't worry, the team is much more competent than the first year. I'm sure you will do well here!"

"Blimey… I… I just still can't believe it!"

"Well, it's true! I will hold a meeting later on about practice schedules and games. Till then, you can relax a bit and forget about this," he said. Lin had a feeling he didn't really mean that last part though. "Well, see you around."

Her friends came and congratulated her, and they all went to the common room to celebrate her new role on the team and her birthday with a few sweets and treats that Fred and George managed to sneak in.

Lin got some sweets from Aunt Molly and Uncle Remus gave her chocolate for her birthday. Pica flew in through the window and dropped an envelope with birthday wishes from her mother, brother, and father and a necklace with a small charm of a Catalonian Fireball that her mother found her.

"Not even you can ruin this day," she told Pica as she wrote thank you cards and the Quidditch news to everyone and tied them to his leg. She even let Pica nibble of a few Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. He flew away and Lin put on her new necklace. The party had to be cut early because they had work to do and Lin had Astronomy at midnight, but Lin did everything happily, for this was one of the best days she ever had.

* * *

Thank you for reading guys. Also, I had to take a break last week because of exams for school, so thank you for being patient too.


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